NC internet cafe goes bonkers when armed customers get into Old West-style shootout

What started as a fist fight in a North Carolina internet cafe Tuesday turned into a full-fledged gunfight.

Bystanders started pulling guns and firing at people, buildings and cars in the parking lot, deputies said.

Five people, two of them teens, are charged in the incident. That includes one shooter who ran to his parked car and pulled out a Soviet-style hunting rifle, which he began firing at another bystander, according to the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.

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The bizarre scene played out about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in Goldsboro, a town of about 36,000 people four hours east of Charlotte. It started when a “physical altercation” broke out between several people inside the 117 Internet Cafe at Mar Mac off U.S. 117 South, officials said.

“During the fight, a bystander by the name Rakim Johnson pulled out a handgun,” said a statement from the sheriff’s office. “At this time, D’Qurious Bradford, another bystander, ran to a parked car and pulled out a SKS style rifle. These two subjects then began exchanging gun fire toward each other while both were outside the business.”

Johnson was struck in the left shoulder by one of the bullets fired by Bradford, officials said. Bullets also struck the outside of the building and cars in the parking lot and at least two made their way into the cafe, where other customers sat watching the melee.

Rakim Karim Johnson

Wayne County jail

Turns out a deputy was across the street in a patrol car, and he managed to stop three of suspects involved as they fled in a car. Other deputies went to a nearby hospital and found Rakim Johnson and a companion, Charlie Daniels, who drove him to the hospital. Daniels was found to be armed also with a Soviet semi-automatic-style riffle, which was inside the vehicle he drove to the hospital, officials said.

The five people charged range in age from 17 to 28, and they are accused of crimes ranging from possession of a hand gun by a minor to carrying a concealed weapon.

D’Quirious Aaron Bradford, 19, and Rakim Karim Johnson, 23, were both charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, officials said. Police did not release the names of the minors.